Red and green birds for the festive season!
Deck the halls with boughs of… holly-coloured birds!
Happy holidays, everyone!
I hope you guys are having a wonderful December and festive season.
Today, I thought it would be nice to learn about the birds that are ‘Christmas coloured’ - that is, red and green!
Like the festive Christmas holly, they are red and green: the Eclectus Parrots!
Wow, where should I even begin with these amazing birds?
The single most interesting fact about these birds is that the males and females look like two completely different species.
The male Eclectus Parrot is a brilliant, emerald green with a yellow beak, whereas the female Parrot is deep red with a black beak!
So, the Eclectus Parrot is the world-record-holder for being the MOST sexually dimorphic of all the bird species in the whole world. In fact, that’s how they got their common name (Eclectus, after eclectic) in the first place!
When used to describe someone or something, the word ‘eclectic’ means to derive ideas, style, or taste from a diverse range of sources - and indeed, the males and females of this species sure look diverse. (I don’t think that’s grammatically accurate but whatever)
When adventurers first spotted these birds in their native habitats (in and around Indonesia, Northeast Australia and New Guinea) they first thought there were TWO totally separate species of parrots - the maroon red ones being one species, and the emerald green ones being another. In fact, the male birds were first sighted and described in 1776, while the females (which usually hide away in holes in tree trunks) were not described until 61 years later.
Why have Eclectus Parrots evolved to look so amazingly eclectic?
There are a couple different reasons!
1) Birds are highly visual animals, so their plumage colours have evolved to be the most sexually attractive to other mates.
But, did you know? Birds that are long-lived and monogamous (like albatrosses) tend to be sexually monochromatic (meaning males and females look the same). On the other hand, in species where males and females change mates every season, the two genders usually look quite different - and the gender that does the courting is the one that looks more fabulous (like male Peacocks!)
2) Different gendered birds that live different lifestyles have evolved their unique colours in order to adapt to their needs.
For example, showboating males that need to attract females have to be as fabulous as possible (like the aforementioned Peacocks) while females that raise chicks and need to hide are usually duller or greener in colour so they can hide away in peace.
In the case of the Eclectus Parrot, though, it’s the other way around:
Males are primarily brilliant green because they range widely in search of fresh fruits for their mates and chicks. They’re the ones hard at work, and they must blend into their surroundings so they can better avoid predators such as Falcons and Owls - these predators, whose eyes are attuned to movement, cannot distinguish green parrots against the green background.
Female Eclectus Parrots, on the other hand, almost never leave their nest tree once they have found a suitable hole to nest in. They are the ultimate Stay-at-Home Girlfriend: they remain completely dependent on their mates to forage for them while they remain with their tree.
However, the females DO need to defend their tree hole from other birds, so their bright red is theorised to serve as a warning to other female Eclectus Parrots that this particular tree is occupied, thank you very much!
Interestingly, Eclectus Parrots practise a sort of ‘reverse harem’ mating system - called cooperative polyandry. This is where the female mates with two or more males and all of them remain together to raise the chicks!
And the resident female, who pretty much does not ever leave her nest tree, gets her food from all her different sugar daddies!
Like all parrots, Eclectus Parrots are REALLY intelligent, and such a sight to behold. They can be found in many aviaries worldwide (including the one in Singapore) so if you ever get the chance to, I would really recommend you check them out - their mannerisms are so cool, and their mating rituals even more so!!!
By the way, I had a close friend text me and ask:
how come sexual dimorphism exists in birds btw?
does it exist in other species? :o
And so, I will be doing a whole post AND podcast about sexual dimorphism in birds. Watch out for that! :D
Where did the classic Christmas colour combo even come from?
Turns out, the red and green colour combo was first used centuries ago, and were employed to celebrate a different holiday!
The ancient Celtic people are said to have revered red-and green-colored holly plants for being evergreen and, and thought that the holly plants did a great job keeping Earth beautiful and lush, even during the dead of winter.
The ancient Celts were a collection of tribes which originated in central Europe. They lived around the Iron Age, which lasted from roughly 1200 to 500 B.C.E.
It is said that when the ancient Celtic culture celebrated the winter solstice, they decorated their homes with holly to bring protection and good luck to their families in the coming year.
Holly is one of the few plants that flower and flourish in the dead of winter, so it is no surprise that they are said to have such wondrous properties! In fact, the holly plant is really closely linked to holidays around the Christmas season.
In Christianity, holly was adopted as a symbol of Christ's crown of thorns; the crimson berries a symbol of his blood and the evergreen a metaphor for life after death. The tradition of decking the halls with boughs of holly at Christmas continues today!
I hope you enjoyed learning about birds and Christmas fun facts today! Catch you in my next newsletter! :)
Hohoho! Loved this article. Great job on it!